Garment bag of the mothproofing type



May 28, 1957 J. J. MINTZ GARMENT BAG OF THE MOTHPROOF'ING TYPE FiledOct. 25, 1955 nvmvrox :[was I M/wz BY [15. E

ATTOR/VAS'Y United States Patent GARMENT BAG OF THE MOTHPROOFING TYPEJacob J. Mintz, Fall River, Mass., assignor to Seal-Sac Inc., New York,N. Y., a corporation of Rhode Island Application October 25, 1955,Serial No. 542,601

12 Claims. (Cl. 206-) The present invention relates to the constructionof a garment bag designed for maintaining its contents within anatmosphere of mothproofing fumes, and in particular to such a garmentbag in which the supply of mothproofing material from which the fumesemanate may readily be replenished.

It has been proposed in the past to provide garment bags with built-incompartments into which mothproofing material, such asparadichlorobenzene, may be introduced, the wall between the compartmentand the interior of the garment bag permitting the fumes emitted by themothproofing material to pass through the wall and into the garment bagproper. Since the moothproofing material has but a limited life, meansmust be provided for replenishing the supply of such material within thecompartment. Such means has usually taken the form of an opening in awall, usually the top wall, of the garment bag, which openingcommunicates with the compartment.

This prior type of construction has suffered from several drawbacks. Inthe first place, the fact that the compartments are built into thegarment bag makes for complexity in assembly of the bag. Secondly, theopening communicating with the compartment is usually in a comparativelyinaccessible place, and that inaccessibility is accentuated by the factthat the garment bag is usually full of clothes and hanging in a closetwhen replenishment of the mothproofing material is called for. It is anextremely awkward matter indeed to pour mothproofing material into anopening in the top wall of a garment bag hanging in a closet. Thirdly,and to a great extent because the opening communicating with thecompartment is so inaccessible, the mothproofing material introducedinto the compartment usually cannot be Well distributed therein, butinstead tends to accumulate near the filling opening. This not onlyinhibits the ready passage of mothproofing vapors into the garment bagproper, but also results in excessive deterioration of the materialwhich forms the walls of a compartment at the areas wherethemothproofing material accumulates.

The present invention has for its prime object the production of agarment bag of the mothproofing type which is both structurally andfunctionally superior to those of the prior art. In accordance with thepresent invention the garment bag, which may otherwise be ofconventional construction, has a container mounted therein for movementbetween an operative position substantially completely within the bagproper and a filling position in which it extends out from the bagthrough an opening in a wall of the bag, the container being supportedin its projected filling position. This container is adapted to receivea supply of mothproofing material, and is provided with a fillingopening which, when the container is in its projected filling position,is rendered readily accessible from the exterior of the bag, preferablyby being positioned well beyond the bag proper. of the container may beprojected from the bag in the specific embodiment here disclosed, andconsequently the container not only can be readily filled but the moth-Substantially all 5-5 of Fig. 3.

proofing material can readily be substantially uniformly distributedtherewithin, and all without in any way disturbing the contents of thebag proper. A subsidiary advantage of the structure here disclosed isthat damage to or deterioration of the container which receives themothproofing material need not affect the use of the remainder of thebag. If the container is faulty or damaged, it may be replaced with anew envelope without involving the remainder of the bag.

In the form here specifically disclosed the garment bag is of the typecomprised by a plastic envelope supported and shaped by a rigid topframe. The container within which the mothproofing material is to bereceived is mounted on a second frame which is in turn secured to thetop frame so as to be slidable relative thereto. One of the walls of theenvelope which comprises the bag proper has an opening in line with thesecond frame and the container carried thereby, the container preferablybeing comparatively thin so that, together with the movable frame onwhich it is mounted, it may readily pass out through the opening in thegarment bag wall and extend out therebeyond for an appreciable distance,still supported by the top frame of the garment bag. In this positionthe filling opening for the container is exposed for ready access. Afterthe desired amount of mothproofing material has been placed within thecontainer it is slid back into the garment bag, the opening of thegarment bag wall through which it had projected is closed, and thegarment bag is ready for reuse and is eminently effective to provideprotection to its contents.

To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as mayhereinafter appear, the present invention shown in projected fillingposition;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

- Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View taken along the lin 4--4 of Fig. 1;and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line The garment bagcomprises an envelope generally designated 2 mounted on a rigid topframe generally designated 4, as is conventional. The top frame 4 isformed of suitable rigid material such as wire and comprises sides 6 andends 8 connected together to define a rectangular shape. A cross bar 10extends from one side 6 to the other substantially midway between theends 8, hooks 12 being secured to the cross bar 10 and extendingupwardly therefrom. The garments to be stored in the garment bag areadapted to be mounted on hangers hung on the cross bar 10. The envelope2 may comprise a plurality of sheets of suitable material, such asfabric or vinyl plastic, and includes a top wall 14, side walls 16, endwalls 18 and 20 and a bottom wall 22. If desired, a stiffening elementof appropriately shaped cardboard or the like may be placed on thebottom wall 22. The hooks 12 extend up through openings 24 in the topwall 14, which openings may be reinforced by means of grommets 26. Theend wall 20 has an opening extending along a substantial portion of theheight thereof and fitted with a slide fastener 28,- the openingproviding access to the inter-ior of the envelope 2 for the insertion orremoval of garments. In the form here specifically disclosed the slidefastener 28 does not extend all the way to the top of the end wall 20,but terminates an appreciable distance therebelow, and a substantiallyhorizontally oriented second slide fastener 30 is provided on the upperportion 20a of the end wall 20 close to the top edge thereof andextending. substantially completely thereacross. When the slide fastener30 is opened, as shown in Fig. 2, an opening is defined through the endwall section 20a;

A second frame generally designated 32 and formed of structural materialhaving appropriate strength is defined by sides 34 and ends 36. Theframe 32 has a rectangul-ar configuration and, in the form herespecifically disclosed, has a width substantially the same as the widthof the top frame 4 but a length somewhat less than half the length ofthe top frame 4. The frame 32 is positioned substantially in line withthe opening in. the end wall section 20a defined by the slide fastener3t and is slidably mounted on the topframe 4 so as to be movable towardand away from the end wall section 29a, the slidable mounting in theform here specifically disclosed being provided by hooks 38 each ofwhich extends around a side 34 of the second frame 32 and a side 6 ofthe top frame 4 and is slidable over both sides 34 and 6. Hence thesec-ond frame 32 may be positioned completely inside the envelope 2, asshown in Fig. 3 and the solid lines in Fig. 5, or, when the slidefastener 30 is opened, it may be positioned as shown in Fig. 2 and thebroken lines in Fig. 5, extending almost completely out beyond the endwall 20 but nevertheless still supported by the top frame 4.

Secured to the second frame 32 in any appropriate manner is a containergenerally designated 40. This container may be formed of any suitablematerial, and preferably one, such as polyethylene, which is resistantto the effects of mothproofing material. It is defined by two sheets 42and 44 which are stitched together along their sides at 46 and alongtheir ends so as to define a closed container. At least one of the walls40 or 42, and prefera-bly the bottom wall 40, is so constructed as to bepervious to the vapors emanating from the mothproofing ma-- terialadapted to be inserted into the container 40. Thus small holes 50 (seeFig. may be formed therein. The container 40 may be mounted on the frame32 by having the extending end portions 52 thereof wrapped around theends 36 of the frame 32 and then secured in place, either permanently bythe stitching 52 or, if desired, readily detachably through the use ofsnap fasteners or the like. The top wall 44 of the container 40' isprovided adjacent its right hand end (the end closest to the end wall 20of the envelope 2) with an opening provided with a closure such as theslide fastener 56.

When the garment bag of the present invention is to be used it issuspended from a closet pole by means of the hooks 12 with the end wall20 directed toward the closet door. The slide fastener 28 is opened andthe clothes to be stored therein are hung on the cross rod 10, afterwhich the slide fastener 28 is closed. This is all that need be done ifthe garment bag is to be employed for storage alone.

If mothproofing protection is desired for the contents of the garmentbag the slide fastener 30 is opened, that slide fastener being readilyexposed and readily accessible. The second frame 32 is grasped throughthe opening defined by the open slide fastener 3b and is pulled out toits position shown in Fig. 2. Substantially the entire area of thecontainer 40 is then exposed, and the slide fastener 56 on the uppersurface thereof is readily accessible, since it will normally extend outwell beyond the closet shelf which usually is positioned closely abovethe closet rod on which the garment bag is hung. The slide fastener 56is opened and a supply of mothproofing material may then readily beintroduced into the container 40 through that opening, withoutinterference by the closet shelf or by anything else which may bepositioned above the garment bag. Since substantially the entire area ofthe container 40 projects beyond the end wall 20 of the garment bag, themothproofing material introduced into the container 40 may be manuallydistributed in a uniform manner through its interior. The slide fastener56 is closed, the frame 32 is slid back into the envelope 2, the slidefastener 30 is closed, and thus a supply of mothproofing material hasbeen introduced into the garment bag, the fumes from that materialreadily passing through the holes 50 to the interior of the envelope 2thus providing effective mothproofing protection for the contents of thegarment bag.

When the mothproofiing material in the container 40 has becomeexhausted, a new supply may be placed therein in the manner abovedescribed. It will be noted that it is a very simple matter for thehousewife to determine the status of the mothproofing material withinthe container 40. All she need do is pull out the frame 32 and examinethe container 40, which is usually formed at least in part oftransparent or translucent material so that the amount of mothproofingmaterial therewithin may be visually determined.

If the material of which the container 40 is formed should deteriorate.or become damaged, whether because of its intimate contact with themothproofing material or for any other reason, the damaged container 40may readily be removed from the frame 32. and a new container 4i) placedtherein, without having to destroy or modify the remainder of. thegarment bag construction.

The structure of the present invention it will be seen, is quite simpleand very readily assembled. The cost of garment bags thus constructed isno greater, and may even be less than, mothproofing garment bags ofprior art constructions, yet functionally and operationally the garmentbag of the present invention is eminently superior to prior artconstructions, as will be apparent from the above description.

While the present invention has been here disclosed and described asdesigned specifically for use with mothproofing materials, such asparadichlorobenzene, it will be apparent that it is also adapted for usewith specifically different materials such as, merely by way of example,sachets or the like. While but a single embodiment of the presentinvention has been here disclosed, it will further be apparent that manyvariations may be made in the specific construction thereof, all withinthe spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A garment bag comprising a top frame, a flexible envelope mounted onsaid frame and adapted to receive garments or the like, said envelopehaving an opening on a side thereof substantially opposite and in linewith an end of said frame, a second frame slidably mounted on said topframe in line with said opening and movable toward and away from saidend of said top frame between a filling position at least partiallyextending out through said opening beyond said side of said envelope andan operative position substantially totally within said envelope, and acontainer adapted to receive a supply of mothproofing material or thelike carried by and movable with said second frame, said containerhaving a closeable filling opening exposed for access when said secondframe is in filling position.

2. In the garment bag of claim I, slide fastener means for closing saidenvelope opening when said container is in its operative position.

3. The garment bag of claim 1, in which said second frame isnon-detachable with respect to said top frame.

4. In the garment bag of claim I, slide fastener means for closing saidenvelope opening when said container is in its operative position, saidsecond frame being nondetachable with respect to said top frame.

5. A garment bag comprising a top frame, a flexible envelope mounted onsaid frame and adapted to receive garments or the like, said envelopehaving an opening on a side thereof substantially opposite and in linewith an end of said frame, a second frame slidably mounted on said topframe in line with said opening and movable toward and away from saidend of said top frame between a filling position at least partiallyextending out through said opening beyond said side of said envelope andan operative position substantially totally within said envelope, and acontainer adapted to receive a supply of mothproofing material or thelike carried by and movable with said second frame, said containerhaving a closeable filling opening positioned beyond said side of saidenvelope when said second frame is in filling position.

6. In the garment bag of claim 5, slide fastener means for closing saidenvelope opening when said container is in its operative position.

7.The garment bag of claim 5, in which said second frame isnon-detachable with respect to said top frame.

8. In the garment bag of claim 5, slide fastener means for closing saidenvelope opening when said container is in its operative position, saidsecond frame being nondetachable with respect to said top frame.

9. A garment bag comprising a skeleton top frame having rail-like sides,a flexible envelope mounted on said frame and adapted to receivegarments or the like, said envelope having an opening on a side thereofsubstantially opposite and in line with an end of said frame, a secondskeleton frame having rail-like sides, links connecting said secondframe sides to said top frame sides and slidable relative thereto, saidsecond frame being supported by said links in line with said opening andmovable toward and away from said end of said top frame between afilling position at least partially extending out through said openingbeyond said side of said envelope and an operative positionsubstantially totally within said envelope, and a container adapted toreceive a supply of mothproofing material or the like carried by andmovable with said second frame, said container having a closeablefilling opening exposed for access when said second frame is in fillingposition.

10. A garment bag comprising a skeleton top frame having rail-likesides, a flexible envelope mounted on said frame and adapted to receivegarments or the like, said envelope having an opening on a side thereofsubstantially opposite and in line with an end of said frame, a secondskeleton frame having rail-like sides, links looped about and connectingsaid second frame sides to said top frame sides and slidable relativethereto, said second frame being supported by said links in line withsaid opening and movable toward and away from said end of said top framebetween a filling position at least partially extending out through saidopening beyond said side of said envelope and an operative positionsubstantially totally within said envelope, and a container adapted toreceive a supply of mothproofing material or the like carried by andmovable with said second frame, said container having a cl'oseablefilling opening exposed for access when said second frame is in fillingposition.

11. A garment bag comprising a skeleton top frame having rail-likesides, a flexible envelope mounted on said frame and adapted to receivegarments or the like, said envelope having an opening on a side thereofsubstantially opposite and in line with an end of said frame, a secondskeleton frame having rail-like sides, links connecting said secondframe sides to said top frame sides and slidable relative thereto, saidsecond frame being supported by said links in line with said opening andmovable toward and away from said end of said top frame between afilling position at least partially extending out through said openingbeyond said side of said envelope and an operative positionsubstantially totally within said envelope, and a container adapted toreceive a supply of mothproofing material or the like carried by theends of said second frame and movable therewith, said container having acloseable filling opening exposed for access when said second frame isin filling position.

12. A garment bag comprising a skeleton top frame having rail-likesides, a flexible envelope mounted on said frame and adapted to receivegarments or the like, said envelope having an opening on a side thereofsubstantially opposite and in line with an end of said frame, a secondskeleton frame having rail-like sides, links looped about and connectingsaid second frame sides to said top frame sides and slidable relativethereto, said second frame being supported by said links in line withsaid opening and movable toward and away from said end of said top framebetween a filling position at least partially extending out through saidopening beyond said side of said envelope and an operative positionsubstantially totally within said envelope, and a container adapted toreceive a supply of mothproofing material or the like carried by andmovable therewith, said container having a closeable filling openingexposed for access when said second frame is in filling position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS493,347 Alford Mar. 14, 1893 512,122 Rich Jan. 2, 1894 1,954,577 ReddinApr. 10, 1934 2,591,277 Mintz Apr. 1, 1952

